Keller Williams
One man band drops it on Orange County
Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana 3/12/03
**previously posted on jambase.com
Keller Williams has, and will continue to be one of the most unique, jaw dropping talents that is on the touring circuit today. Eight guitars, several basses and a plethora of toys including a signature mouth flugel, he continually breaks barriors and brings new light to classic covers, spanning a style in writing and performing that is honest, hysterical and everything in between. Keller has been dubbed “the mad scientist” and rightly so, it takes about two minutes of witnessing his talent that even the most opinionated critic can’t help but bite his lip, shuffle his feet and gasp in admiration. Keller is the real deal, and no matter where he might be playing, smiles span from ear to ear eagerly anticipating all that he is capable of.
Although it is not the most renowned venue in Southern California, the Galaxy is like home base to me. It is right down the street from the compound, and from where I grew up. I have attended more shows at this venue then any other across the country. With that said, keller playing there was obviously no small potatoes for me, your humble reviewer.
Starting right on time, a first for the venue, Keller sized up the crowd while playing an instrumental opener, flowing and jumping all over the frets with intense speed and jaw dropping skill. Lets Go Dancing followed and really opened the whole room to soak up the vibe that Keller was pouring. Dancing around with his guitar and delivering the goods with such precision. Keller makes himself happy first and foremost, which takes the energy up a notch just because you can enjoy yourself watching him amuse himself. Keller approaches his sets much like a writer approaches a run on sentence, it doesn’t end where it should, it might not be proper, but you never want it to end. Weaving through Lets Go Dancing into one of his loops and back, teasing and squeezing every note as much as he could, hoping from guitar to bass to his newest toy, a theremin, he layered so much into the mix it was more then you would find in your favorite dip. The sandwich loop between Landlord and Sally Sullivan was a nice surprise; I had not heard Landlord in some time and have always appreciated the genuine theme of the song, as I am sure anyone who has ever been in love can appreciate this one. And then the Sally…Sally said it all… “ it could not have started any sweeter, on the way to the Galaxy theatre.” Martin Sexton’s Hallelujah followed, and proved to be one of the strongest songs of the night. Balancing on the gentleness of the crafty guitar work, Keller brought the lyrics to a sweet euphoric plain as he sang words of a deeper meaning. Any one out there who Is not aware of Martin Sexton, I highly suggest lending out your ears, you will not soon regret it. The rest of the first set was a huge sandwich of loops teasing back and forth from instrumentals and Breathe. Breathe is a song that always makes me smile. The thought of being underwater with all sorts of colors and textures, and the true feeling of being free, in an essence, it is that exactly that is Keller’s music. Free, joyful, colorful and a multi- layered menagerie that crackles under your feet and tears into your belly revealing the soft spot in everyone. As he segued into his toy loop, he brought out the tubes and continued to lead the swaying audience in a sing along. Only Keller… he gives all who come to the show a feeling of youth, almost like he is a children’s entertainer. Come the end of the first set, lights came up and all you could see was an ocean of grins, much like a room of kids who had just been thoroughly entertained.
Second set got right into it with a smoking Rockamal >Stupid Questions, once again allowing the audience to sing along as he jumped from instrument to instrument. Funk poured over the stage as Keller slapped his bass, it is in these moments one can tell how much he has passion for the bass and leaves you wondering.. is there anything he CAN’T play? Now just about anyone can play a Grateful Dead tune, but the way Keller places them in just the right cracks. Maybe it is because he followed the for years, perhaps it is because he is the most tuned in musician in the scene right now. Whatever the reason, Keller knows where and when to play the perfect covers. Till the Morning Comes was perfection. Crafty picking along the frets and a unique spin on the delivery that Jerry would have been quite pleased. The sandwich on Dogs and Bob Rules was my personal highlight of the night. In the middle of Dogs, Earl, Keller’s dog came on stage and did a few hot laps around the edge so the front rowers could pet him a bit. It happened totally under the radar, like it was a regular part of the show every night. I have yet to see any other musician bust out his dogs on stage in the middle of a song that he wrote about them. The cleverness mixes so well with the silliness that is Keller’s stage presence. So then there was Bob Rules. Having been to the Price Is Right years ago, I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. Who in the world can conjure up a song about a dream about being on the Price Is Right? Keller can, that is who. The highlight of Bob Rules was when he started to flugel Restless wind, a String Cheese Incident song. This was particular special to me as I had seen Cheese perform in this small venue years ago. Dancing down memory lane, I was pulled back as Keller dropped back and looped right into a much anticipated Best Feeling. There are certain songs that no matter how bad your day, no matter what is wrong… when you hear it, it lifts you up and takes you somewhere else. It can make you forget about all the bullshit and just smile a bit brighter and breathe a bit easier. Best Feeling could very well be the anthem for those types of songs. Everyone knows how great it was to be a kid on Christmas morning, or to imagine soaring and cutting through the sky. It a shame that we as adults are not more encouraged to use their imagination as care free as kids. If we were, I feel there would be a lot more believers in the world today. This song alone can make you a believer again.
The show wrapped up with the classic Kidney in a Cooler, a playful take on a road trip gone bad that anyone who has ever been on tour or between two places can get a laugh out of. With only the encore ahead of him, Keller threw out one last cover, none other then the staple Stay Human by Michael Franti. Splashing back and forth with his take on this number, Keller once again reminded everyone that life is all about having fun. He was all over the stage, giving each instrument one last shot to make a lasting impression, not that he had to in the first place. With a less the subtle approach reminding everyone to go to the El Rey show the following night, he disappeared and the lights came back up one last time. That was that. No monkey business about it... well actually quite a bit of monkey business, but in the world of Keller, this is the only business to be had. A short drive home, some poor attempts at some flugeling of our home, and much needed rest to prepare for one last night with the man they refer to as “the mad scientist.”